Mumbai (I)

Bombay is the name many would associate this place with; though the name change was officially done as early as in 1995. It has been so in the case of Chennai/Madras, Kolkotta/Calcutta, or Bengaluru/Bangalore. People in and outside India, at times slip into the habbit of using the old names, and then quickly revert  to the prevailing ones. Especially the older generation has a stronger attachment with the old names - for them so much  more is associated with it than just the name. But all said and done, the place changes, you give it a new name or not. And so has the city of Mumbai.

Mumbai is an old city, which has had its share of reigns and regimes, fame and splendour, and the city still holds her head high, as she stands along the Arabian Sea, savouring the salty breeze and the taste of success  as the leading city in Central Asia with the hightest GDP to her pride. Its a place full of life, pulsating with action, passion and a sense of joi de vivre that seems to suffuses the very air. People here are known to be pumped up with grit and determination, who give their all, be it their work or their beliefs, who go about their paths steadfast driven with their  thirst for excellence. Each individual has the freedom to live life on his own terms, and reach for the elusive rainbow too. It all happens here in this magical city.

Several comparisons have been drawn between New York and Mumbai not without cause. The energy levels which seem to flow through both these great cities binds them in more ways then one. The city draws people incessantly and once drawn in its not easy to let go...such is the charm of Mumbai . Once a Mumbaikar he'll  always be one. The relationship with the place over the years, becomes special and intense too.

My visits to the city, initially, used to be filled with awe and admiration for the pace of the city, and the purposeful stride of every pedestrian (they are plenty), the sheer conviction behind every enterprise started out (be it a panwala shop or the towering ultra modern designer studio), and ofcourse struck by the seemingly smooth mingling of the old and the new. The temples, churches and the darghas in Mumbai have seen tumultuous history sweep past them, and they have withstood it all, silent and resilient.

The Mumbai Suburban Railway, the life- line which is what it literally translates to, for many in Mumbai; a mechanical carrier of an astounding 1.6 million commuters every day, not just physically transporting them to their destinations for the day, but commuting and helping them to reach their dreams which they hold on to fast, even as the metallic wheels chug on, every day of their lives.
( ...to be contd.)

An interesting perspective
http://www.nishasondhe.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=6&p=0

Websites from which the above pictures were taken :
travelguidemumbai.com
mumbai77.com